Review of Rivertown Hop Bomber

30Jun

Hello everyone. Thanks for checking back in on another craft beer review. For today’s review I’m going to be trying the Hop Bomber produced by the Rivertown Brewing Company located in the Queen City of Cincinnati, Ohio.

We have just recently started receiving Rivertown brews in my area, so this will be my first experience with one of their concoctions.

Let’s jump over to their website, rivertownbrewery.com, and see what the commercial description has to say.

An American pale ale named after the famous B-24 Liberator Bomber. This beer has a wonderful malt backbone from the use of dark British crystal malt and spicy fresh rye malt. It is dry hopped with two varieties of American hops for a crisp refreshing flavor.

Alright. I’m getting thirsty. Let’s pour this thing.

This beer came in a 12 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 5.5%.

It poured a semi-hazy, orangish to amber color. A well sized, off white head was formed from an easy cascade. The texture was soft, sort of rocky and fluffy. The retention time was admirable and the retention time was patchy, but attractive enough.

The nose brought forth a nice caramel malt to begin with. Additional hints of toasted biscuits along with floral and earthy hops came about next. A sturdy waft of wheat and/or rye bread added even more “roundness”. A very, very light hint of apple and orange added some complexity, however this was very much a “malt forward” fragrance.

The flavor had a bit more of a grainy type profile. It still had plenty of that earthiness, caramel malt and rye bread goodness though. The fruity apple and orange characteristics that were discovered in the smell were almost nonexistent in the taste. Oh well. It was still enjoyable.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied. Smooth, semi-dry and slightly chewy. The carbonation was of medium strength and an ok amount of flavor was left behind after each swallow.

Overall, I thought this to be a solid beer and worth a try if you can obtain it. I doubt that it will knock your socks off, but I believe that it would be an excellent drink for the Fall season. It’s definitely not a “hop bomb” as the label suggests that it might be. It’s very malt forward, but that’s alright. It’s an easy drink that could be enjoyed without much fanfare or contemplation…. or it could be studied if need be. Either way, the drinkabilty is quite good and I wouldn’t mind having it again sometime. So, if you guys get to try the Rivertown Hop Bomber, drop me a line and tell me of your opinion. I’d love to hear from you.